[TheNoonans]

I don't want to speak for anyone on their side of the table, but I would have to guess (given the presence of the LAA's legal counsel), that they are all now fully aware that they will not be able to defend their recent denial using the previous report that was issued by the local FAA office.

As far as the message having any teeth, I cannot imagine that there was any person in that meeting that didn't leave it realizing that if skydiving is not allowed at LCI and Mary and I are forced to keep pushing this upstream at the FAA.......the end result will be a letter to the LAA from the FAA stating they have been found in non-compliance of their federal funding grant assurances and that they have 30 days to get into compliance (allow skydiving), or forfeit current federal funding and refund the last ten years of funding they received.

Personally I can't imagine why they would continue to try to cause us problems, but only time will tell.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom

P.S. - I was reading in another thread that unemployment is up to 10% in Belknap County. If we were open, our season would have started April 1st, and there would be at a minimum 6 new jobs at our hangar, all filled by local residents. We'd have had customers coming up from Boston every week, buying gas, eating at the restaurants, staying at hotels, etc. If we were allowed to open in 2009 like we had originally planned, we'd have 12-15 jobs filled by local residents by now with over a 1000 customers having travelled to the area spending money at your businesses. Our season doesn't end until November 1st, so even after the Labor Day tourist evacuation of the Lakes Region, we would continue to be bringing customers to your businesses through Nov 1.

The reason I say this is that if I were you, I would all watch very closely the actions and votes of each member of the airport authority from here on out. Their actions affect you directly. The airport itself does not belong to 8 board members and two FBOs, the airport belongs to all of you.

I believe the seats on the board are appointed positions? Who makes the appointments? It's your economy that hangs in the balance of their actions and decisions, only you can hold them accountable.